BLM delays gas, oil leases

DENVER – The Bureau of Land Management is delaying the sale of natural-gas and oil leases in a crucial watershed for metro Denver.

The Denver Post reported that the BLM on Friday delayed the sale of six leases in South Park, citing water resources, state parks, and visual factors among concerns that need further analysis. The parcels were to be offered in February.

South Park is a 1,000-square-mile basin about 60 miles southwest of Denver that is home to the headwaters of the South Platte River that fills Chatfield Reservoir near Littleton. BLM officials say revisions to the overall resource-management plan could begin in the next year or two.